Service inconsistent and spotty despite having a plethora of wait staff. Long wait in between appetizers to main course. Lots of people waiting for their food that night. Humph. Otherwise, grilled squid nicely chewy, sushi rolls and sashimi fresh and non-skimpy. Still, the service made me grumpy. read more

Some dear friends of mine have lived in the Berkeley hills for forever, and are connoisseurs when it comes to local fine(ish) cuisine. I've been in town writing and housesitting for a couple weeks and I had a hankering (does anyone say that anymore?) for sushi...the kind that's not pre-packaged and available in stores. They directed me to this joint, and I trusted them. I read the recent reviews, but I trusted my friends more. So, off I went with a super hungry tummy, very excited to have some sushi that was most likely deliciously out of bounds. The place already had four different parties seated at 5:05PM (they open at 5PM for dinner) which I thought was amazing and indicative of a great place. Then, two servers came out and took every table's order....at the same time...not going back to the chefs to start making the food for the previous table, but taking all the orders and giving them to the chefs at once. Hmmm, ok. No biggie. That's how they roll (awful pun). I ordered three rolls and the veggie gyoza appetizer (I told you, I was hungry), and it took as long as you might expect--long enough to begin filling up with more and more people. My tastebuds were salivating, my stomach turning. This was going to be the best sushi of my life because the place was nearly packed not even a half hour after opening (mind you, it's a little bigger than a sardine can in there). And then the waitress, who was very sweet, delivered my first roll (the Alaska) and gyoza. Immediately, I could smell the salmon--super fishy, which is not the best sign and means the fish isn't very fresh. On top of that, the salmon was the consistency of mush. I ate it against my better judgment. The gyoza, I'm afraid, was mushy, too, and such a disappointment. I was incredibly up in arms, as this would go down as my worst sushi experience to date...even worse than a $20 all-you-can-eat place in the San Fernando Valley. I asked the server if I could take the rest to go, as by now, this place was overflowing, and I waited about another ten minutes for my next two rolls (veggie rolls) to be ready. (The avocado maki and veggie tempura rolls were sloppy, but fine, but you can't really mess those up too badly...their avocado was on point.) BUT, this place must have something special about it because people were coming in like it was their last meal ever (maybe it would be given the salmon?). I might've just been the one person who got the stinky meal (literally), but I'm not interested in finding out if it was just a one-time bad experience. read more

Came by here with my girlfriend because we were craving for UNI and this place usually has Japanese UNI but today they did not have any because they were going to be closed for the holiday, we ordered the kaisen- something roll I forgot what it's called but the roll was very enjoyable ! The fishes were fresh. We also got the ankimo , hotate , amaebi, sake nigiri and they do not disappoint! The service was excellent the sushi chef made sure we were satisfied with our food and on top of that they offered FRESH WASABI! read more

Kiku Sushi - My favorite - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I saw lots of people; therefore I came for sashimi, with high hopes of freshness. Just to preface, I was very satisfied with all the sashimi I ordered, which was the majority of my meal. I ordered pairs of two types of hamachi, hokkaido scallop, and king salmon. I was full and happy with that. Just one weird matter that bothered me: When I ordered my sashimi, I didn't want it in nigiri form. I also ordered a bowl of rice on the side. I got both. The waitress was happy to take the bowl of rice back after the misunderstanding but it was strange to me that she didn't confirm how I wanted my sashimi and thought I would want a extra full bowl of rice. Now, onto the appetizers. We got edamame and fried tofu. 1. Edamame: Overcooked, soft, tasteless. How do you mess up the easiest appetizer in the world? 2. Fried Tofu: The potato starch coating was soggy and easily separated from the tofu. I'm picky about my fried tofu. I've had good fried tofu and this was not it. Last, the place is crowded. There is no place to wait inside even though it was freezing outside. When seated, the table next to me was close enough that I could lick my neighbor's elbow. I've had better sashimi in SoCal and will try other places in the Bay Area. read more

Came here for my father's goodbye party. Setting: clean, calm and inviting Food: fresh and delicious Staff: kind and welcoming Location: Take Gilman exit and its pretty easy to find Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant if you are a fresh sushi fan. -Sue read more

My husband and I were taken aback by the sheer sushi excellence of this unassuming spot. This is the best sushi I've had in years- absolutely fresh, delicious, and generously cut. The scallops were fabulous as was the seaweed salad and the deep fried Uni. The sushi is at a level higher than Kirala or even Ippuku. I'm grateful West Berkeley has such an option. read more

Kiku Sushi - Sashi Special top row. Hirame, Aji, and Scallop. All delicious. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

So this place was horrible! Super small and they are ridiculously slow! Everything was unorganized and people were standing right next to our table basically over our food just waiting to be seated! The food wAs all nasty except the Edamame which came out last! This place we will never come back to! The only reason It gets one star is because our server wAs pretty! read more

Uni, when they have it, is outstanding. Other sashimi - portion sizes are very good and always fresh. I've had a couple of the veggie appetizers, and they are good. Food is a 4-5 star, easy. Ah, prices are also good. Restaurant is cramped and very very noisy, seriously can be hard to have a conversation. Service is where they go from a 4+ to a 2. Service is friendly, it just takes for-damn-ever for everything every step of the way. 20 minutes to ask for water, and another 10+ to get it. Then another 20 minutes to place your order, THEN the real waiting begins. Very friendly, again...but very very slow, on a good day. This is based on about a dozen visits. Why do I return? The uni, baby! read more

Never has my stomach hurt so much after eating at a restaurant. And for such small portions. We had the miso soup, amberjack sushi, spider roll, and chicken teriyaki. The two stars are for the service, but that is it. Never going back. read more

Worst sushi ever and worst service ever. She is outright rude. Fish is not fresh either. Worst uni and toro was such a waste of money. Also, you will have to constantly fight flys sitting on your food. Servers could not care less. How does this place have such a high rating? Why are people saying this place is clean? Our table was sticky, our water had something in it, and plates were all dirty.. read more

My daughter and granddaughter say that I must emphasize how kid-friendly Kiku's turned out to be. 'Tis true - they immediately set out a cute kid's plate and Hello Kitty training chopsticks for her and were all smiles to the little girl. It made for a great experience for my 7 year old granddaughter and, thus, for her mother and I! She actually was motivated to try a whole array of foods from miso soup (a hit) to tempura vegetables and shrimp and terriaki chicken, all of which were happily tried and pronounced yummy! Daughter and I also found our meals "yummy". I had the chirashi lunch special. She had a bento box lunch. The fish was amazing and both fresh and plentiful. We had more food than we could really eat and walked out happy and content. The only negative was that the crab in the California rolls was as a salad, not whole pieces. Neither of us cares for it that way. I imagine that's how they manage to use real crab - by using bits and pieces, but it detracted from the flavor and texture of the roll in our opinion. However, that's personal taste and not a deal-breaker by any stretch of the imagination. This is not a "bargain" sushi place. You pay for what you get, but it is worth it. Quantities are substantial, flavors are excellent and the presentation is lovely. We will be going back for more. read more

we had decided we would try and find the best local sushi. WE FOUND IT!! Extremely fresh fish. Live uni and abalone. LIVE!! That is rare indeed to find in a restaurant. We walked in 45 mins before closing. Closed the joint down. Great service. Very generous sake servings. Bar was amazing. Cash discount. HANDS DOWN THE BEST IN TOWN!!! read more

Tried a different sushi place today. Very pleased that it was fresh and flavorful. The sashimi, dragon rolls, baked spicy scallop rolls, calamari legs, and chicken was delicious. The service was a little slow and the place is pretty small but other than that I recommend it. read more

Sub-par sushi, not managed/run by Japanese chefs. Quality of the meat, rice, etc, below average. Not a big fan of eating raw fish in places I am uncomfortable with the quality. They didn't de-vein the shrimp either, and the chicken teriyaki was super dry. Will look else where for sushi. read more

Walked in at 5:15 pm and place was empty with only one other table occupied. 15 minutes later all tables were occupied and people lined up outside and some had reservations for a party of 7. Ordered sake and the cool part is you get to pick your sake from about 30 cups- I got the bamboo one! Hamachi Kama was market price $15.95 which was pretty pricey, considering that's the price we pay for a tempura combination with Hamachi Kama at another restaurant and not as flavorful and a bit tough. Sushi was good but better and fresher at our usual sushi restaurant in Walnut Creek. Having said that, if we are in the area again, I would come back to this restaurant. Parking is street parking so earlier is probably better. read more

Yeah...it's f****** yummy. Uni was super fresh and tasted amazing on its own, one could get lost in the pores if you stare at it too long. The salmon, yellow tail and tuna were bites of perfection. I appreciate the manageable portion sizes. Can't wait to get back and try more. Table seating is fairly cozy, service was great, waitresses were very attentive and knowledgeable. read more

Kiku Sushi - Uni - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I found this place through Yelp due to the fact that my sister has become a full-time vegan and has made food and restaurant selections so much harder. To find a vegan place is hard as it is, but to find a good place and good place near by at that is a struggle! Luckily we came across Kiku sushi which is only a 10-15 minute drive from my house. Parking can definitely be a hassle considering there's street parking but it's not too bad. I've been here a few times with my family and every time it's been a good experience except for one which is not the business fault considering there was only one server taking care of the whole restaurant herself. I'm not sure if it's because the restaurant is small and the owner doesn't think there is of need of a lot of staff but as long as it works for them, it works for me. The food here I believe here has good taste, tastes fresh and does come out accordingly. You don't catch much of a bad day unless it does become of these hectic days and your server is running all over the place and you can't flag her down but overall service is great, the staff are nice and they make sure you're taken care of. Definitely recommend this place if you're ever in Berkeley and especially if you're vegan looking to eat some sushi. There is a separate menu for Vegetarian and Vegan eaters so you don't have to worry so much of having accommodating your dishes to you preferences. read more

The BEST Sushi in the East Bay...I miss Toshi's in Vancouver BC...but ever since I discovered Kiku Sushi over a year ago...it helps ease my longing for Toshi's. The sashimi & sushi are so fresh...you don't need the soy sauce or freshly grated wasabi. The sashimi portions are huge. My go-to Japanese restaurant. read more

Kiku Sushi - Hamachi Curudo - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Order the following for two people: 1) Chirashi (morikawa or whatever it was called) 2) chicken teriyaki 3) rock n' row 4) dragon roll The food was mediocre (but the fish at least seemed pretty fresh). The chicken teriyaki was very plain and blend. The servers seemed like nice people but was not very attentive. I doubt that I'll be going back because of the price/quality. read more

Kiku Sushi well-deserves its esteem among Yelpers. The salmon sashimi, which can be rather nondescript in most Japanese restaurants, was outstanding. The Agedashi tofu also comes cubed, a subtle innovation that increases the surface area for more batter to be applied. This place is a neighborhood gem. If you are craving sushi at an affordable price range, be sure to give this place a visit. Mansfield Score: 8.5/10 read more

The food was great. My partner and I are a tag team vegetarian/vegan combo so we ordered the veggie tempura and several vegetarian rolls. The tempura was fantastic! Along with the dipping sauce itself. The sushi was great as well, we had a shiitake-avacado-cucumber combo. It ended up being so great that we ordered another round of rolls. The restaurant itself was small and very crowded. We must have hit on their busiest time because we weren't the only group waiting. Though we managed to get good parking, I think that might've been a stroke of luck. Parking looks like it'd be a pain. read more

I came here because my parents were visiting and wanted to take this chance to explore restaurants that weren't as close to campus, and I was deeply disappointed. We came in around 1pm, and it was pretty empty. There was only one other person in the restaurant, but we decided to give it a try anyways. We ordered the baked spicy scallop roll, crunch roll, salmon skin roll, chicken teriyaki bento, and miso glazed black cod bento. I didn't get the try either of the bentos but my dad said that the fish was alright, and the amount of fish that they gave him was really small. My brother said the chicken was pretty dry and was heavily coated in teriyaki sauce. I tried a piece of the California roll that came with the bento, and it was standard. Rice was soft but they were pretty small pieces. The crunch roll was alright; I've definitely had better crunchy rolls. It wasn't particularly flavorful.The baked spicy scallop roll was not spicy at all and was not really baked either. Baked rolls at other restaurants usually means a whole roll that is covered in some sort of sauce mixture that includes mayo and then it's baked in foil boat and then served to you. The baked salmon roll did not look baked at all. You couldn't really even taste the scallop, so I decided to dissect a piece and there was a small piece of scallop tucked away inside the roll. It was just topped with a dollop of mayo and some garnish. The salmon skin roll was the absolute WORST. It was not well made at all. The moment you picked it up, everything fell apart; the seaweed around the roll did not even hold the roll together. The salmon skin was pretty dry and just plain salty. I had a really good salmon skin salad right before I drove up to Berkeley, so I was hoping I could find a place here to satisfy my cravings but I was so wrong. There were some vegetables in the roll as well but they didn't really complement the salmon. Each bite was super dry because there wasn't any sauce, and the fish wasn't juicy at all. The food is edible, but I've definitely had much better sushi and will not be coming again. read more

Kiku Sushi - Salmon skin roll. Salmon was super dry. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I've been coming to Kiku Sushi recently for takeout dinners. Our typical order is the chirashi dinner special with a mushroom udon soup. What keeps me coming back is that the quality:price ratio appears to be quite high. Whenever I arrive to pick up my order, every seat inside Kiku Sushi is taken, and there are people outside the restaurant, waiting to be seated. Paying for my order is borderline hazardous because of all the hustle and bustle near the cashier's station. I generally retreat to the sidewalk after my payment has been processed in order not to get in the servers' way. The employees here seem to be constantly in high gear, with everyone multitasking and nobody getting any down time. It's exhausting to watch, but it seems to work. And the sushi is delicious too!! read more

Completely overrated. Hope it was an off day. Walked in during a slow lunch to see if the line out front is worth waiting for, today it certainly was not. Tonkatsu fried to a jerky consistency on a shabby looking plate. Unagi nigiri served cold, slimy and tasteless. Avoid. read more

I came in around 9 pm. Restaurant was busy. Got a seat for two in about 10 minutes. The waitress were not very attentive, had bad breath and smell stinky. When I took my order, she kept asking me if I could speak louder?!?! She said she was sick and couldn't hear what I said. If she was sick, she should have gone home. Why she was there to pass out virus to the customers? Ordered typical sushi and sashimi , not impressed. I will definitely leave this place to those who live in the neighborhood and have no other sort of transportation to dine outside of its area. read more

Great, cozy sushi place, with a hefty cash discount; slightly off the main drag, so parking isn't a nightmare. I would call it a "hole-in-the-wall", except that it is cleaner and more professional than that term implies. Excellent food at typical sushi prices (and 10% off if you pay cash!), and a wider selection of sake than I would expect at a place so small. It was packed when we walked in, and although there is nothing like a private conversation in those close quarters, it didn't interfere with a wonderful meal. The staff seemed a little overwhelmed at first, but recovered gracefully, and really made us feel welcome. read more

I have been here once for dinner and once for lunch. The food was great and fresh. This is a nice option if you're looking for quality sushi. Prices are fair. Both times I went I found parking easily. Cool little location on Gilman Street. Has a nice local vibe to it. I will keep this place in my list of reliable sushi joints. read more

Absolutely loved this tiny neighborhood restaurant! Very friendly staff and fresh quality food. This is gonna be our Japanese go to restaurant! read more

great food..the black miso cod was delicious yummy. Nice portion. The vegetable gyoza was also delicious. And the Rolls where also delicious. Service was also great. Staff very nice . Overall great experience. read more

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One of the better sushi places in the Berkeley area. Kiku sushi is pretty small, but that makes it cozier. When I first visited here, my boyfriend and I ordered the Sashimi, rock n' roll and spicy tuna roll. The sashimi was awesome! Super generous slices and the fish was super fresh. This is probably my go-to place for sashimi. Their spicy tuna roll was also exceptional. Most people chop up the tuna, and I really do not like that since it ruins the texture of the tuna. Instead, they sprinkle spicy powder on the tuna. Perfect! Kiku's definitely doesn't skimp out on quality and quantity. read more

What I really liked about this place is the emphasis on fresh fish, the fast service we received and the zero hassle parking. They had a wide variety of fish on the menu and 10 more on the specials board. Taste wise, the fish was 3.5/5 but the variety of rolls offered is less than I would have hoped. I ordered the salmon roll and one with tuna and they were both pretty bland and I could hardly taste the fish. My friend got chirashi (fish over rice) and he said it was ok, neither good or bad. I might go back because it is the perfect spot for a lazy Sunday night, but my search continues for a really great sushi place. read more

I really wanted to love this place. They have a great variety of nigiri options, including several Toros, and anago on their standard offerings which I don't find many places. We were seated about ten or fifteen minutes prior to Saturday night dinner rush. We ordered a large selection of nigiri and two rolls, the baked scallop and the tempura roll. We waited quite a while for our tea, which was delicious but never refilled. The tempura roll was first, and very good but the composition was a little lacking and it was loose in the chopsticks. After a little lull came our giant plate of nigiri. The portions are indeed large and I appreciated the gentle hand with the wasabi that didn't overpower the fish. The anago wasn't the best I've had but still very good, the baby octopus was delicious. This was where we hit trouble. The restaurant was busy and while our water was refilled, nothing else was checked on. We sat for well over thirty minutes with no food in front of us and no refills on tea before a waitress asked if we were ready for the bill. We reminded her we'd been waiting on the baked scallop roll which I had just watched one of the chefs take out of the toaster oven. The problem? I'd watched that same tin foil package sitting in the oven, totally ignored by the kitchen staff as other rolls went in and out, since before we'd finished our nigiri. The roll was disappointing to say the least, and we left hungry, unwilling to wait to place and pay for an additional order even though we told our waitress at the start of the meal that we would likely order more. No apology or consideration was made for the excessive delay, and our bill came to just under a hundred dollars. For the price point and the portions, there are better options on Solano. Maybe for an off-rush snack I'd stop in, but I'm unlikely to visit for a lunch or dinner date again. read more

Kiku Sushi - Nigiri platter - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Im usually a fan of sushi buffets and happy hour sushis so paying full price for limited sushi never feels worth it but this place was delicious. This place is small with a home feel to it. They do need more seating areas because it seems to get busy at times if you want to wait to be seated and someone is ahead of you, you might need to stand outside because there is not waiting area so it feels a bit cramp. Other than that the sushi is fresh and the customer service was okay. read more

What!!! Amazing fish!!! They get shipments every morning so the fish is so fresh and melty! Literally everything was so good. The main lady that works there is soooo friendly and sweet. Truly cares about her customers. We tried the salmon bento, the chirashi bowl and one of their specialty rolls. Every single piece of fish was...speechless. Please go support this place! Kiku me lik-u. read more

For sushi in the area, the quality of Kiku's fish rank supreme in my eyes. Every time I've gone, I've gotten the Sake Don (Salmon over rice). I have a little bit of an affinity toward their Sake Don because they cut the pieces of fish in a larger but thinner manner than typical sashimi cuts, which makes the fish taste smoother and actually how I prefer to eat my raw fish. Also, to me, their rice tastes better, but that might just be me. However, the prices for entrees are a bit steep. I usually only come here if I'm feeling especially good and am trying to reward myself. It's also a bit away from the UC Berkeley campus so I really have to have a good reason to come here. read more

I've eaten here easily 5+ times. Generally very good but I've always split rolls with someone. This last time I went with someone more adventurous and we explored the sushi menu more. Some things were amazing - like the amaebi. I mean, the best I've had. But two of our roll orders came with minced fish that didn't seem like it were off the boat fresh. It was just mush wrapped in rice and nori. I'd never experienced this before and my friend said it was generally done to disguise fish that wasn't quite up to snuff. So my review here gets a little rocky. One fish we couldn't even recognize! They have a nice sake service that includes being offered a tray of mismatched sake cups and you can pick your own. I find that charming. Cold sake is served in a carafe with a separate ice chamber to keep your sake cold and undiluted. It is a very small place with maybe a dozen tables. And always cramped. They can't help that. The service they could improve on however but I find that a common denominator in almost all Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area so I didn't knock off points for service. I did knock off a star for the minced fish rolls however. Previously they would have gotten a 4. read more

I tried this sushi joint a week ago.. And I'm still dreaming about it. The whole experience was amazing. From the service, to the food, and the vibes. I had the dragon roll and the sashimi dinner platter. You know a sushi place is already going to be magical when the miso soup is good. The fish in the sashimi platter was insanely fresh and the cuts were perfection for every bite. My boyfriend and I couldn't get over the yellow tail! It was so delicious and fresh. I've never been so excited to find a new local sushi joint.. I cannot wait to come back! read more

Kiku Sushi - Sashimi dinner platter = Heaven - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

The food here is pretty awesome. I stopped by once during lunch and didn't think that the sushi was great. I decided to stop by during one of their dinners to give it a second try. I don't know if dinner meals are generally better than lunch meals but I currently only order food during dinner. The chirashi is really good. Normally, I pay about $10-15 for chirashi and here it's slightly more expensive but it is worth it. The miso soups are also the best I've ever had. The nigiris are pretty amazing but you can rack up a big bill this way. Their dragon roll has really crispy shrimp tempuras and my other favorite roll is their kaisen futo-maki. I highly suggest stopping by during dinner time. The waitresses are extremely friendly and the chefs really know what they're doing. Two thumbs up! read more

Came here with one of my mentors. We ordered hot tea as well as the Spider Roll, Dragon Roll, and Spicy Tuna. The sushi was incredible. I really appreciated the space. It's a small restaurant and it looks really nice inside. The cups that the tea was in were pleasant as well. Service was good too. I have nothing bad to say!!! read more

OK, so I've struggled mightily about whether or not to write a review about Kiku Sushi. In the end, my sense of obligation to support this terrific restaurant won out over my fervent desire to keep them a secret so I can wander in and be seated whenever I want. Very simply, they're the best sushi place I've been to in the East Bay. They make Kirala seem like some tourist floating boat joint. Ozumo on a good day aspires to have fish as tasty and well-presented and staff as courteous. Sigh. There, I've contributed to letting out the secret. Now as a favor to me can you please stay away at Friday lunch times? Leave me just that small consideration, that's all I'm asking! read more